This isn't what you think. It's about name, not game. We're ready to hit the court with our six-player rotation of people, places and things of the NCAA tournament. So slap the floor and join us.

Gary Brackett: This is where it all starts. And, every so often, ends. Last year, for example, fans filled out a bracket and watched for two weeks until the tournament came to a remarkable conclusion in the Indianapolis Colts linebacker's professional home, Lucas Oil Stadium.

Allan Houston: The former Tennessee Volunteer is now an executive with the NBA team for which he played, the Knicks. He'll probably admit to satisfaction if his current team makes the NBA's final four, which isn't to be confused with the trademarked phrase Final Four, which happens to be in Houston, Texas, this year.

Fab Melo: At least in name, the 7-foot, 244-pound freshman represents a mishmash of two prominent teams in tournament history, Michigan's Fab Five and the 2003 Syracuse Orange, led by Carmelo Anthony. Our Melo is averaging 10 minutes a game for the aforementioned Orange. At this point, nobody has decided to do a biopic on him, but give him time.

"Suitcase Bob" Seeds: The former outfielder makes this list for so many reasons. His career was not unlike that of a lower seed: The perpetual underdog. In only two of his nine MLB seasons was he an everyday player. And he's got to feel kinship with this year's Clemson Tigers, who won their first-round game in Dayton on Tuesday night, flew 821 miles to Tampa starting at 2 a.m. Wednesday and played West Virginia at noon Thursday. Suitcase Bob played for nine teams in the Minors as well as five in the bigs. Among his stops are four places hosting March Madness 2011: Chicago, Newark, Cleveland and Indianapolis, home of the Women's Final Four.

Charlotte Smith: In 1994, Smith authored perhaps the most famous game-winner in the history of the women's tournament, a catch-and-shoot deal in the lane at the buzzer that felled Louisiana Tech and elevated North Carolina to the title. As for the present, Charlotte, N.C., is a second- and third-round site and is hosting the tourney at its third venue.

Jerry West: The former West Virginia Mountaineer's name lives on in the bracket as the identity of one of the four tournament regions. This sounds rather obvious, but tell that to the South, the Mideast or even the Midwest, none of which exists in the nomenclature anymore. West, who for the sake of geographical symmetry attended East Bank (W.Va.) High School, led WVU to the 1959 championship game and was named most outstanding player of the tournament even though his team lost. West's alma mater is scheduled to tip off against Kentucky in the third round on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. Alas, they're in the East, not the West.